Mischa Barton gets flamed due to ‘insensitive’ Instagram photo

Former O.C. Star Mischa Barton posted a photo on her Instagram account which depicts her in a black bikini and white jacket, sailing on a yacht while drinking rosé.

Apparently, the problem was that the photo’s caption referred to Anton Sterling’s killing. The British-born actress commented her thoughts were saying that it was “an embarrassment to America.” She claimed herself for gun control and asked her followers to “stop, reflect and act appropriately.”

Former O.C. Star Mischa Barton posted a photo on her Instagram account which depicts her in a black bikini and white jacket, sailing on a yacht while drinking rosé. Photo credit: Mischa Barton / Instagram / Mashable

But, apparently, that was exactly what people on the Internet did not do, as news media jumped on the bandwagon to call her post “inappropriate” and “insensitive.”

Although she could have used a different picture, her comments were not insensitive in any way. It seems that her followers think otherwise, which is why she was forced to delete the picture as it reached almost 7,000 likes.

NY Daily News author Gersh Kuntzman said that the picture “is the visual equivalent of Adolf Hitler typing ‘LOL’ on the bottom of a picture of Auschwitz’s ovens spewing ashes into the air,” comparing one of the world’s most infamous and cruel genocides to a prolific child actress that managed to push her career forward while fighting Hollywood’s child star exploitation.

“The country I was brought up in. Somebody make change. We need gun control and unity. And a real President so think about that when this election is around the corner,” she wrote on the footer of the picture.

Sterling’s death has become the latest in a series of shootings against black men perpetrated by police forces.

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The police officers went to the convenience store where Sterling was after receiving a report around midnight that claimed that a man in a red shirt selling CDs pointed a gun at someone. Sterling was indeed wearing a red shirt and was selling CDs. Police yelled at Sterling to get on the ground and then forced him to lay flat on the floor. One of the officers held his gun point-blank on Sterling’s chest.

Many celebrities have reacted to the shooting of Alton Sterling besides Mischa Barton. Katy Perry, Olivia Wilde, Hayley Williams and Nick Jonas offered their condolences through Twitter. Kanye West posted a link to the video of the shooting while Rihanna shared a video of a mom expressing her regrets concerning the cease-fire.

According to VOX, Sterling did have a criminal record, but it has not been yet clarified whether he was trying to withdraw his gun when the officers confronted him. The shop-owner claimed that the police officials were immediately aggressive, but the reports of an armed individual may prove sufficient for law enforcement to threaten the suspect.

The use of force is encouraged if the officers perceive a consequent threat at the time of apprehension. Many say that, because he was pinned down and immobile, he was not able to pose as a threat, thus adding Sterling’s shooting to the growing series of stories on the “Black Lives Matter” movement.